External seeking only leads to exhaustion. When you imitate others, you lose your own authenticity.

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.

Metta (loving-kindness) becomes truly effective only when it arises from a peaceful mind, a pure mind, a balanced mind.

Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.

Do not mistake understanding for realization, and do not mistake realization for liberation.

True happiness comes from a sense of inner peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through cultivation of altruism, of love, of compassion.

Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind.

We should find perfect existence through imperfect existence.

The restraint of the senses is not a matter of suppression but of wise attention to our experience.

The way is basically perfect. It is not a matter of practice or enlightenment.

The most difficult times for many of us are the ones we give ourselves.

The silence between the notes is as important as the notes themselves.

The view is like a lion - it cannot be led around by anything else. Meditation is like an eagle - it cannot be distracted by anything else. Action is like a madman - it is free from accepting and rejecting.

There is no difference at all between samsara and nirvana. There is no difference at all between nirvana and samsara.

Emptiness is not nothingness. Emptiness is the space of possibility.

Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.

The practice of patience guards us against losing our presence of mind.

The development of insight is gradual, but the realization of truth is sudden.

When you realize the emptiness of all phenomena, compassion will arise in your heart for all sentient beings who do not understand this truth.

The mind is everything. What you think, you become.

The mind is like a well-forged sword - it adapts to all situations.

If you love someone, the greatest gift you can give them is your presence.

Treat every moment as your last. It is not preparation for something else.

Knowledge must be stabilized by meditation. Without meditation, knowledge is like a child in battle.

When I run from suffering, it follows me. When I face suffering with equanimity, it runs from me.

The practice of meditation requires both energy and patience, both effort and relaxation.

The first step toward faith is to admit that we don't know everything.

Long is the night to him who is awake; long is a mile to him who is tired; long is life to the foolish who do not know the true law.

Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth.

When you look deeply into your anger, you will see that the person you call your enemy is also suffering. As soon as you see that, the capacity for accepting and having compassion for them is there.

In true dialogue, both sides are willing to change.

Meditation practice isn't about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It's about befriending who we are already.

Concentration and insight are like two wings of a bird: both are necessary for the flight to liberation.